Political Blotter » Ellen Tauscherhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics
Politics in the Bay Area and beyondFri, 31 Jul 2015 21:59:01 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Tauscher names GOP co-chair for redistricting pushhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2015/07/28/tauscher-names-gop-co-chair-for-redistricting-push/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2015/07/28/tauscher-names-gop-co-chair-for-redistricting-push/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 17:43:40 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=30087Former East Bay Rep. Ellen Tauscher announced Tuesday that she’s bringing on a former colleague from the other side of the aisle to co-chair her effort to export California’s citizen-redistricting model to the rest of the nation. Tauscher, a Democrat formerly of Alamo who represented part of the East Bay from 1997 to 2009, said […]]]>

Former East Bay Rep. Ellen Tauscher announced Tuesday that she’s bringing on a former colleague from the other side of the aisle to co-chair her effort to export California’s citizen-redistricting model to the rest of the nation.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Tauscher said she’s thrilled to share the group’s leadership with Davis. “Independent non-partisan redistricting commissions, like the one we have in California, create the opportunity for more competitive districts and for more moderates of both parties to get elected to Congress,” she said.

Davis said the effort is “critical to getting Congress working again.”

“Creating independent non-partisan citizen advisory commissions in even five or six states before the 2020 census could make all the difference to the make-up of Congress in the next decade,” Davis said. “Ellen and I will be reaching out to our former colleagues and like-minded state elected officials of both parties in these key states to put the wheels in motion to get this done over the next five years.”

The project will focus on passing ballot initiatives in key states over the next three election cycles to approve the formation of independent, non-partisan citizen redistricting commissions based on California’s model that was passed in 2008.

Tauscher left her House seat in 2009 to become Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs – serving under then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – until February 2012, and then served as Special Envoy for Strategic Stability and Missile Defense until August 2012. She now splits her time between San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2015/07/28/tauscher-names-gop-co-chair-for-redistricting-push/feed/5Ellen TauscherAn Ellen Tauscher v. Karl Rove smackdownhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2014/11/20/an-ellen-tauscher-v-karl-rove-smackdown/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2014/11/20/an-ellen-tauscher-v-karl-rove-smackdown/#commentsThu, 20 Nov 2014 23:13:17 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=28188You can be in the audience as Ellen Tauscher, the former East Bay congresswoman and under secretary of state, has a policy discussion with GOP strategist and super-PAC-master Karl Rove, the former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to President George W. Bush, on Thursday, Jan. 22 in Concord. “This unique pairing will offer […]]]>

You can be in the audience as Ellen Tauscher, the former East Bay congresswoman and under secretary of state, has a policy discussion with GOP strategist and super-PAC-master Karl Rove, the former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to President George W. Bush, on Thursday, Jan. 22 in Concord.

“This unique pairing will offer insights about the political landscape and its impacts on the economy both nationally and regionally,” according to a “save the date” email sent Thursday by the East Bay Leadership Council. The event will be held at the Hilton Concord, 1970 Diamond Blvd., but further details and registration are not yet available.

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2014/11/20/an-ellen-tauscher-v-karl-rove-smackdown/feed/1Tauscher v. RoveTauscher to speak at Cal on U.S.-Russia relationshttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2013/10/21/tauscher-to-speak-at-cal-on-u-s-russia-relations/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2013/10/21/tauscher-to-speak-at-cal-on-u-s-russia-relations/#commentsMon, 21 Oct 2013 19:58:20 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=24653Ellen Tauscher started the summer optimistic that the improving U.S.-Russia relationship would provide fertile ground for new arms-control agreements – but it’s been a tough couple of months since then. “This is like batting-cage practice when the machine goes wild and is throwing balls at you left and right,” she said in a telephone interview […]]]>

Ellen Tauscher started the summer optimistic that the improving U.S.-Russia relationship would provide fertile ground for new arms-control agreements – but it’s been a tough couple of months since then.

“This is like batting-cage practice when the machine goes wild and is throwing balls at you left and right,” she said in a telephone interview Monday. “Events can overtake you.”

Tauscher, a former East Bay congresswoman who served for three years as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, will be back in the Bay Area on Oct. 30 to deliver a speech entitled “Negotiating Alone? The United States, Russia and the Prospect of Arms Control.”

Tauscher in June had co-authored an article in Foreign Policy magazine with Igor Ivanov – a president of the Russian International Affairs Council and former Russian Federation foreign minister – in which they wrote the U.S.-Russian political dialogue was finally gaining momentum toward mutually assured stability.

But things turned sour this summer. Russia in June enacted new laws limiting civil liberties for gays and lesbians; in August gave asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden; and throughout maintained its support for its longtime ally Syrian President Bashar Assad during that nation’s brutal civil war. President Obama cancelled a September summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Can this marriage be saved?” Tauscher quipped Monday, before adding that it must be.

“It is a fundamentally important relationship for many, many reasons, and we are not at our best right now – that is for sure – but I think that everybody who has been part of this for a long time knows that relationships ebb and wane,” she said, adding efforts are afoot to “try to get back to a better footing” and “find a way to remember that we do some of the best works in the world together.”

“This is when it’s very difficult to keep a sense of equilibrium in the relationship because it’s not just the obvious bilateral and international roles that we play,” she said. “It’s very complicated when third, fourth and fifth parties are involved, and that’s part of the situation we find ourselves in now.”

She said she hopes the “Track II” nonofficial talks that she’s a part of will be fruitful as a “back channel way for conversations to keep going when the public face of the relationship is not the prettiest.”

Tauscher is now senior public policy adviser to the Baker Donelson law firm in Washington, D.C. Registration for her Matsui Lecture is available online.

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2013/10/21/tauscher-to-speak-at-cal-on-u-s-russia-relations/feed/2negotiating aloneEllen TauscherTauscher to chair new Governor’s Military Councilhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2013/03/28/tauscher-to-chair-new-governors-military-council/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2013/03/28/tauscher-to-chair-new-governors-military-council/#commentsThu, 28 Mar 2013 18:24:13 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=22625Gov. Jerry Brown probably believes it’s fine for the nation to speak softly, but he’s enlisting a former East Bay Congresswoman to ensure California remains part of its big stick. Brown today appointed former East Bay Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher to chair a new Governor’s Military Council, tasked with protecting California’s military installations against the deep […]]]>

Gov. Jerry Brown probably believes it’s fine for the nation to speak softly, but he’s enlisting a former East Bay Congresswoman to ensure California remains part of its big stick.

Brown today appointed former East Bay Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher to chair a new Governor’s Military Council, tasked with protecting California’s military installations against the deep budget cuts being made by the Pentagon under the sequestration approved by Congress and President Obama.

“California plays a crucial role in our nation’s defense, and military bases and activities are vital to our state’s economy,” Brown said in a news release. “As federal priorities shift to cyber security and new military technology, this Council will work to expand defense-industry jobs and investment in California.”

California is home to 29 federal military installations, and the Defense Department directly employs more than 236,000 people in California. This new council will work to protect those installations and operations amid ongoing Defense Department budget cuts, and to push for changes in federal military strategy that will keep California at the front of defense innovation.

“California’s military infrastructure is critically important to national security,” Tauscher said. “The Council will send a unified message to Washington, D.C., that highlights the value of our military bases.”

Tauscher, 61, represented her East Bay congressional district from 1997 until 2009, when she resigned to take a post as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs; she left that post in February 2012. More recently, she served as the State Department’s Special Envoy for Strategic Stability and Missile Defense and Vice Chair-Designate of the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security. She is now a strategic advisor to the Baker Donelson law firm in Washington, D.C.

“With federal budgets continuing to be cut — including many defense programs — it is my hope that the Governor’s Military Council will help protect jobs and investments and attract new missions associated with California’s military presence,” she said. “I also believe that Ellen Tauscher is an excellent choice to chair this council, as she brings a wealth of experience at the State Department and as a member of the House of Representatives.”

The council will convene for one year and draft specific recommendations to the governor and Legislature. It includes retired admirals and generals from all military branches, the Adjutant General of the California National Guard and lawmakers selected by state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez. The appointments don’t require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

See the full roster of council members as described by the governor’s office, after the jump…

Major General Alice Astafan, USAF (retired) serves on the board of directors for the Oak Ridge Association of Research Universities (ORAU) in Oak Ridge, TN. Before her retirement from the Air Force, Astafan was the highest-ranking female officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. Astafan was a member of the California Council on Military Base Support and Retention, chair of the California Veterans Board and a member of the Southwest Defense Alliance.

Major General David S. Baldwin is the Adjutant General of California. Previously, he served as executive officer of the Combined Forces Command, deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division Tactical Command Post and senior mentor to the commanding general of the 201st Afghan Army Corps during two deployments to Afghanistan.

Thomas R. Berard served as executive director of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, CA and executive director and deputy to the commanding general of the White Sands Missile Range, NM.

Vice Admiral Jody A. Breckenridge, USCG (retired) served as commander for the Coast Guard Pacific Area, director of the Coast Guard’s Strategic Transformation Team and commander of the 11th Coast Guard District, overseeing Coast Guard operations in the Southwest and Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Colonel Rocky Chávez, USMC (retired) is an Assemblyman representing the 76th District, which includes Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. He serves as vice chair of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee. Previously, he served as Under Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs.

Philip E. Coyle is a senior science fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Previously, he served by presidential appointment to the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission as associate director for National Security and International Affairs in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Barack Obama and assistant secretary of defense and director, Operational Test and Evaluation, at the Department of Defense.

Joseph Czyzyk serves as chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles-based Mercury Air Group. Previously, he served as chairman of the Board of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation.

Major General Anthony L. Jackson USMC, (retired) serves as the director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Previously, he served as the commanding general at Marine Corps Installations West, director of operations and logistics at U.S. Africa Command and deputy commanding general at U.S. Marine Forces Central Command.

Rear Admiral James Johnson, USN (retired) was president of the San Diego Military Advisory Council, director of TRICARE Regional Operations West, chief executive officer of Naval Medical Center, San Diego, and principal deputy for Clinical and Program Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.

Major General Dennis Kenneally, USA (retired) is executive director of the Southwest Defense Alliance. He served as commanding general of the California Army National Guard, assistant Adjutant General for the California Military Department and director of the Office of Homeland Security.

Steve Knight is a State Senator representing the 21st District, where he is chair of the Senate Select Committee on Defense and Aerospace and vice chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Previously, he was an Assemblymember and served on the Palmdale City Council. Knight is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Mary E. Lyons was president of the University of San Diego and the California Maritime Academy. She was an instructor at the Naval Training Center, and twice served as Commanding Officer of Naval Reserve units.

Admiral Henry Mauz, USN (retired) served as commander in chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, deputy chief of Naval Operations and Commander of the Seventh Fleet in the Far East, Naval Forces Central Command during Operation Desert Shield.

Rear Admiral Benjamin Montoya served by presidential appointment on the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission as chief of the Navy Civil Engineer Corps and commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

Al Muratsuchi is an Assemblyman representing the 66th District, where he is chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee and the Select Committee on Aerospace. Previously, he served as a prosecutor and deputy attorney general at the California Attorney General’s Office, as well as the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and Santa Ana City Attorney’s Office.

Major General Richard Roth, USAF (retired) is a State Senator representing the 31st District, which includes March Air Reserve Base. Previously, he served as mobilization assistant to the judge advocate general of the U.S. Air Force, overseeing more than 900 Air Force Reserve judge advocates and paralegal personnel assigned to more than 200 offices at every level of command.

Lieutenant General Eugene L. Tattini USAF (retired) serves as the deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Previously, he served as commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base.

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2013/03/28/tauscher-to-chair-new-governors-military-council/feed/5Ellen TauscherTauscher declares victory over cancerhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/07/29/tauscher-declares-victory-over-cancer/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/07/29/tauscher-declares-victory-over-cancer/#commentsSat, 30 Jul 2011 02:02:39 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=16670I had breakfast with U.S. Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher earlier this week and the former East Bay congresswoman shared the compelling and inspiring story of her remarkable triumph over esophageal cancer. Read the full story here. I didn’t have space in the piece but I shared with Ellen that morning […]]]>

U.S. Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher

I had breakfast with U.S. Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher earlier this week and the former East Bay congresswoman shared the compelling and inspiring story of her remarkable triumph over esophageal cancer.

I didn’t have space in the piece but I shared with Ellen that morning about how her experience had already helped me in a very personal way.

Last March, the Washington Post wrote a lovely story about her recovery and as I read through the text, I keyed in on Ellen’s description of the early symptoms: Trouble swallowing bulky foods, a sensation of something blocking her esophagus.

My husband had been experiencing the very same symptoms for months. He had recently suffered a painful episode while eating a salad at a restaurant.

I showed him the news story and he made an appointment.

The initial examination revealed a potential problem and his doctor scheduled an endoscopy. Fortunately, the scope found a highly treatable inflammation and not cancer.

But for all we knew at the time, the symptoms could have been associated with a far more serious health problem. And early detection is a good thing when it comes to the successful treatment of cancer.

So, take Ellen’s advice: Even if you think all you need is another roll of Tums, go see your doctor. Do it for the people who love you.

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/07/29/tauscher-declares-victory-over-cancer/feed/2Ellen TauscherTauscher cancer free, says Posthttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/03/27/tauscher-cancer-free-says-post/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/03/27/tauscher-cancer-free-says-post/#commentsMon, 28 Mar 2011 00:10:38 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=15530Former East Bay congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, now under secretary for international security and arms control in the U.S. State Department, is cancer free, according to the Washington Post’s “What Happened To …” segment. That’s excellent news. Not long after her 2009 marriage to retired pilot Jim Cieslak, Tauscher underwent chemotherapy and radiation, and then surgery […]]]>

Tauscher

Former East Bay congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, now under secretary for international security and arms control in the U.S. State Department, is cancer free, according to the Washington Post’s “What Happened To …” segment.

That’s excellent news.

Not long after her 2009 marriage to retired pilot Jim Cieslak, Tauscher underwent chemotherapy and radiation, and then surgery to remove her esophagus.

These two make a wonderful couple and they deserve many more years together. My best wishes for a continued clean bill of health!

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/03/27/tauscher-cancer-free-says-post/feed/14http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2718/4285105855_1eb4a50811_m.jpgSanta visits Tauscher earlyhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/12/22/santa-visits-tauscher-early/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/12/22/santa-visits-tauscher-early/#commentsWed, 22 Dec 2010 22:30:49 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=14619Christmas has come a little early for former East Bay Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, now Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security in the U.S. State Department. The U.S. Senate today in a vote of 71 to 26 ratified a new arms control treaty with Russia that will cap nuclear warheads and restart on-site weapons inspections. […]]]>

Tauscher

Christmas has come a little early for former East Bay Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, now Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security in the U.S. State Department.

And earlier today, President Barack Obama signed legislation that ends a ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the U.S. military. Tauscher was the original cosponsor of the bill; she turned it over to Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., before she left Congress in 2009 for her new job.

Tauscher cannot, in her new position, comment on the military legislation she wrote, but sources say Murphy called her Saturday, and in a touching conversation, told the former legislator that the bill “wouldn’t have happened without her.”

Tauscher is under no such prohibition on the subject of the START treaty, although she made her statement as she recovers from esophageal cancer surgery performed earlier this month.

“I want to congratulate the United States Senate for providing its advice and consent to ratification of the new START Treaty,” she said in a statement issued by her office. “I want to commend the senators from both parties who worked to achieve this positive outcome for our country.”

She added, “The new START Treaty is another step that will help move the United States and Russia toward a world of mutual assured stability. This treaty will enhance cooperation with Russia and reinforce the global nuclear nonproliferation regime.”

Tauscher went on to praise a variety of leaders, saying “The leadership of President (Barack) Obama, Vice President (Joe) Biden, Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton, Secretary (Robert) Gates, Admiral (Mike) Mullen, and the Director of National Intelligence were indispensable. Once again, I want to thank the Senate for putting U.S. security first and voting for the new START Treaty.”

]]>http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/12/22/santa-visits-tauscher-early/feed/9http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2718/4285105855_1eb4a50811_t.jpgTauscher to sit on cyber security boardhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/12/16/tauscher-to-sit-on-cyber-security-board/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/12/16/tauscher-to-sit-on-cyber-security-board/#commentsFri, 17 Dec 2010 00:08:33 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=14547Former East Bay Rep. Ellen Tauscher, now the Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security in the State Department, will serve on a board charged with addressing cyber security such as the disclosure of thousands of U.S. secret documents on Wikileaks, according to a national security blog. State Department Creates Cyber Coordinator Post Plan for […]]]>

Tauscher

Former East Bay Rep. Ellen Tauscher, now the Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security in the State Department, will serve on a board charged with addressing cyber security such as the disclosure of thousands of U.S. secret documents on Wikileaks, according to a national security blog.

State Department Creates Cyber Coordinator Post

Plan for New Position in Works Year Before WikiLeaks Breach

A newly created State Department Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues, unveiled in a 242-page report issued Wednesday, is charged with uniting different parts of the department working on cyber matters to more effectively advance America’s cybersecurity interests …

The coordinator will be in the Office of the Secretary, will report to Clinton, and will be guided by a cyber advisory council, chaired by Deputy Secretary James Steinberg and including Robert D. Hormats, undersecretary for economic growth, energy and the environment; Ellen Tauscher, undersecretary for arms control and international security; and Patrick Kennedy, undersecretary for management. Other senior department officials will be consulted as appropriate.

http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/12/16/tauscher-to-sit-on-cyber-security-board/feed/14http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2718/4285105855_1eb4a50811_t.jpgTauscher sworn in … againhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2009/08/19/tauscher-sworn-in-again/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2009/08/19/tauscher-sworn-in-again/#commentsWed, 19 Aug 2009 20:29:17 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=7869The Washington Post’s foreign policy website reports today that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially swore in former East Bay Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher Monday as her Undersecretary for International Security and Arms Control. Wait? Didn’t a federal judge already do that in June? I thought so, too. But who am I to argue with the […]]]>

The Washington Post’s foreign policy website reports today that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially swore in former East Bay Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher Monday as her Undersecretary for International Security and Arms Control.

Wait? Didn’t a federal judge already do that in June? I thought so, too. But who am I to argue with the Washington Post or the State Department’s mysterious ways.

Just back from an 11-day trip to Africa and before meetings with Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and the White House and then heading off for vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton swore in her close ally, former Rep. Ellen Tauscher, as undersecretary of State for arms control and international security Monday in the State Department’s eighth floor Ben Franklin room. In attendance were National Security Advisor Gen. Jim Jones and his wife, long-time friends of Tauscher and her new groom Jim Cieslak (like Jones a former Marine), along with Clinton’s special advisor on arms control and international security Robert Einhorn, Assistant Secretary of State for Verification, Compliance and Implementation Rose Gottemoeller, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Bill Burns, and Assistant Secretary of State for Political and Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro.

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http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2009/08/19/tauscher-sworn-in-again/feed/0CD10: Tauscher’s endorsement questionedhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2009/07/16/cd10-tauschers-endorsement-questioned/
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2009/07/16/cd10-tauschers-endorsement-questioned/#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2009 00:11:49 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=7459A Lafayette attorney wants State Department lawyers to force Under Secretary Ellen Tauscher to repudiate her endorsement of state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier to succeed her in Congress. And DeSaulnier rival John Garamendi made sure to give Tauscher a heads-up. Jason A. Bezis – who in the final days of Tauscher’s Congressional career was berating her […]]]>

A Lafayette attorney wants State Department lawyers to force Under Secretary Ellen Tauscher to repudiate her endorsement of state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier to succeed her in Congress.

And DeSaulnier rival John Garamendi made sure to give Tauscher a heads-up.

Jason A. Bezis – who in the final days of Tauscher’s Congressional career was berating her for what he says were too few and too inaccessible CD10 town meetings – has drafted an extensive memo, with exhibits, illustrating his complaint that Tauscher is in violation of State Department rules.

“The State Department’s ‘Rules on Political Activities’ state their rationale, ‘The Department has a long-standing policy of limiting participation in partisan campaigns by its top officials and political appointees in recognition of the bipartisan character of our foreign policy,’” Bezis noted in an e-mail to the DeSaulnier campaign accompanying the memo. “Therefore, Undersecretary Tauscher’s endorsement of your campaigns has the potential of harming American foreign policy. Your acceptance and prominent use of her endorsement may have a similar damaging effect.

He’s asking that DeSaulnier’s campaign remove all reference’s to Tauscher’s endorsement from its Web sites; remove from circulation and destroy any campaign literature and fundraising invitations stating or implying the endorsement; advise other Democratic groups to do the same; instruct staff and volunteers not to mention Tauscher’s endorsement; and omit any mention from it from future advertisements.

“Senator DeSaulnier is seeking to become a federal lawmaker. It is imperative, especially as an aspiring federal legislator, that he follows the letter and spirit of existing federal law. Mr. DeSaulnier should not enjoy ‘fruit from the poisonous tree’ of Undersecretary Tauscher’s illegal endorsement,” Bezis wrote in his e-mail.

Garamendi’s campaign sent a copy of Bezis’ memo this week to a Tauscher aide, with a cover note that said:

I have been informed by a lawyer in the 10th Congressional District that he is preparing a formal complaint concerning U.S. Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher’s endorsement of California State Senator Mark DeSaulnier in the run up to the September 1st Special Election.
I am a long time friend of Ellen’s and I do not want her to be jeopardized in any way. As a former Deputy Secretary at Interior, I am aware of the issue that she faces and I wanted the Undersecretary to know of this problem ahead of any formal complaint. Please let me know what the Undersecretary intends to do.
Attached is the draft of the lawyer’s memo.
Sincerely,
John Garamendi

Tauscher’s office declined comment, but longtime Tauscher campaign consultant Lisa Tucker – no longer in the Under Secretary’s employ – said this is “sour grapes” on Garamendi’s part.

“Garamendi sought her endorsement and didn’t get it, and if he’d gotten it he wouldn’t be doing this,” Tucker said. “Everything that DeSaulnier is using says ‘Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher’ — it’s from before she was sworn in, so it’s all on the up-and-up.”

Tauscher endorsed DeSaulnier in late March, well before President Barack Obama formally nominated her in early May to serve as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.

I tried to reach Bezis to ask whether he has endorsed, contributed to, or in any way supported any of the CD10 candidates, but my e-mail and voice mail weren’t returned. He is registered to vote as a Democrat and has written several articles for the Democrat-run California Majority Report, but I don’t see that he has made any campaign contributions to Garamendi or any other CD10 candidate.

UPDATE @ 7:33 A.M. FRIDAY: Bezis wrote back to me overnight, stating he’d endorsed DeSaulnier early on but revoked that endorsement “motivated in part by the campaign literature touting Ellen Tauscher’s backing of his campaign.” He said he has spoken with DeSaulnier, Garamendi, Joan Buchanan, Anthony Woods and Adriel Hampton in recent weeks and believes “all of the candidates (from all political parties) deserve a fair ‘playing field’ — which Tauscher’s illegal endorsement upsets.”

Tucker’s statement, he said, is “outrageous. Tauscher should not have made an endorsement in any partisan election would coincide with any day of her tenure at the State Department. Tauscher went out of her way to make a ‘pre-endorsement’ of DeSaulnier for a special election that did not yet exist. Tauscher knew that a vacancy would be created and a special election called because of and only because of her State Department appointment. It was obvious that her successor would be elected while she was at the State Department, when she undisputedly could not make an endorsement.”

Other CD10 tidbits, after the jump…

DeSaulnier will be among politicos speaking at AFSCME Local 2620‘s bi-annual convention this Saturday evening in San Jose. Among others speaking to the health and social-service workers this weekend are state Controller John Chiang; Democratic gubernatorial candidate and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom; Democratic gubernatorial candidate and state Attorney General Jerry Brown; and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Campbell.

Meanwhile, Asssemblywoman Joan Buchanan will continue her small business tour Saturday with a stop at Green Wheelin’ Scooters in Walnut Creek. She says she’s visiting small businesses to raise awareness of the role they play in creating jobs and building local economies, and to highlight that the economic stimulus package has not done enough to support them; last weekend, she made stops in Antioch and Livermore to visit with owners of businesses including an auto repair shop, an alterations boutique and an urban design firm.